


Scraping Gum

by Scarcettwo



Category: Archie Comics & Related Fandoms, Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Archie Reggie make up fic, Archie isn't white, Crying, Detention, Gen, yay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-03
Updated: 2017-02-03
Packaged: 2018-09-21 19:24:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,361
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9563057
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scarcettwo/pseuds/Scarcettwo
Summary: “Why are you even friends with that weirdo?” Reggie asked.“You? Reggie, we aren’t friends anymore, remember?” Archie sniped.It took Reggie a moment to get it.“You’re an asshole,” he said.An Archie and Reggie makeup fic because they're no longer allowed to fight because I said so





	

**Author's Note:**

> thanks bireggie-mantles for the idea:)

“Mantle,” Archie said, sliding into his chair, speaking as civil as he possibly could. Mr Howitzer had split them up randomly, and he was stuck with Reggie, of all people. Betty shot him a sympathetic look from her place next to Moose.

 

“Strawberry Shortcake,” Reggie greeted, tone just as carefully civil as Archie’s.

 

Archie took a deep breath. “How’s your stomach?”

 

“Much better than your eye.”

 

“Excuse me, what makes you two think it’s acceptable to not do the assignment?” Mr. Howitzer demanded, practically swooping down on them. “Do your work or you’ll get a zero.”

 

“I can’t work with him,” they said at the same time.

 

“I don’t care,” Mr. Howitzer said. “Do the work. Now.”

 

Archie pulled the worksheet towards him with a sigh.

 

“Hey, why do you get the paper?” Reggie asked, trying to tug it away.

 

“Because I have better handwriting,” Archie said.

 

“Oh please, you probably broke your hand punching my chiseled abs,” Reggie shot back, and the paper ripped in half. Both of them fell out of their chairs with a loud crash.

 

The class went silent. Betty and Veronica exchanged looks across the classroom.

 

“Zero for the day,” Mr. Howitzer said. “And you can clean up this room after school. Together. Maybe then you can work as a team.”

 

The bell rang and Archie shoved everything into his backpack with no regard for order, hightailing it over to the door with Betty and Veronica. He had to get out of this classroom

 

“Can you believe him?” Archie fumed, clenching his fists.

 

“Mr. Howitzer or Reggie?” Veronica asked, raising an eyebrow.

 

“Both,” Archie said, gesturing wildly. “I need all the credit I can get in that class, you know how strict a grader Howitzer is! And Reggie ruined it, just like he ruins everything.”

 

“Reggie does ruin a lot, but you fought just as much as he did,” Veronica said.

 

“You do remember why we’re fighting in the first place right?” Archie asked her. “Because he accused me and Jughead of fuc-”

 

“We do not need to talk about that,” Betty interrupted. “That’s disgusting, and Reggie’s an immature jerk. He’s been an immature jerk since kindergarten.”

 

“He’s a lousy, loud, annoying, homophobic jerk!” Archie exclaimed.

 

“Homophobic?” Betty asked.

 

“The way he was talking about Moose, Kevin, and Jughead,” Veronica explained.

 

“Are they all gay?” Betty asked.

 

“Honestly, I don’t know and it doesn’t even matter,” Archie said. “I just know he’s a butthead.”

 

“What are we, five?” Veronica shook her head.

 

“I can’t think of a better word just leave me alone!” Archie stormed off to class.

 

* * *

 

Archie showed up at Mr. Howitzer’s room after school, as requested. Reggie was already there.

 

“Punctuality is important,” Reggie said, and for a moment Archie pretended that they weren’t fighting, that they were in detention for doing something stupid together.

 

“Right, well my last class is across the school, so please excuse me for being unable to teleport.”

 

“Here’s your supplies boys,” Mr. Howiter said before Reggie could respond. “And you’re in luck, the class after yours was making homemade chewing gum. Happy scraping!”

 

He dumped a pile of cleaning supplies on the table and left for his office across the hall.

 

“I’ll take left, you take right?” Archie asked.

 

“ _I’ll_ take left, _you_ take right,” Reggie said, then went to the left side of the room.

 

Archie didn’t have the capacity to even care anymore.

 

For over an hour, there was nothing but the scraping of gum and loud sighs. Archie’s arm was killing him.

 

“Why are you even friends with that weirdo?” Reggie asked.

  
“You? Reggie, we aren’t friends anymore, remember?” Archie sniped.

 

It took Reggie a moment to get it.

 

“You’re an asshole,” he said.

 

“That makes you the patron saint of assholes then,” Archie said. “Reggie you said some really terrible things about Jason and Jughead. And Moose.”

 

“I didn’t say anything about Moose,” Reggie said.

 

“Offensive tight end?” Archie said, blushing at having to speak those words aloud with Reggie’s connotation.

 

Reggie laughed. “Come on man that was just a joke.”

 

“A mean one,” Archie said. “If you’re straight you don’t get to make fun of gay people.”

 

“Okay, don’t speak to me about power structures white boy,” Reggie threw him a dirty look and Archie fell silent.

 

“I’m not white,” Archie said, focusing intensely on a particularly dried piece of gum. “Just thought I’d point that out.”

 

“You have red hair,” Reggie muttered.

 

“Reggie, you’ve met my mom before,” Archie said, frustrated. “And this isn’t even the conversation we’re having! You can’t insult my friends and expect me to be okay with it! You can’t be a bully and expect people to not fight back.”

 

Reggie’s scraping paused. “You and Jughead aren’t even friends anymore.”

 

“Were friends again now, but that has nothing to do with you accusing me and him of necrophilia!” Archie slammed his scraper down on the ground and glared at him. “You’re just a bully Reggie, and you’re not as magnificent as you think because people only hang around you because they’re as shallow and mean as you are.”

 

“What does that say about you then?” Reggie asked quietly, ice cold. “You were my friend.”

 

“And look at us now. Eventually everyone else will realize it too! Your family might be worth a lot, but inside, you feel worthless unless you’re putting someone else down, and I feel sorry for you.”

 

For a moment, they both stared at each other.

 

And then, to his shock, Reggie started _crying._ Sitting on the floor surrounded by discarded gum, scraper by his side, Reggie Mantle had near-silent tears streaming down his face

 

Archie froze, mouth open. What the hell could he even say? Reggie Mantle was crying. Crying?

 

“Why do you always get everything?” Reggie asked miserably. “The spot on varsity, the girls, the friends? Why is it always you that’s number one Andrews? Why do I have to do everything in my power to get even a fraction of what you get without trying?”

 

Archie finally managed to move, and kicked some gum away with his shoe before sitting down next to him.

 

“I don’t know,” Archie said, and put a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry I said those things to you. They weren’t tr-”

 

“-You were telling the truth,” Reggie said, wiping his eyes. Luckily his outburst had been short-lived and oddly contained.

 

“No, I was trying to hurt you,” Archie said.

 

“I was trying to hurt you,” Reggie said. “By hurting Jughead. Why can’t we be friends like that, man? You guys haven’t spoken in months and you still get in a fight for his ass.”

 

“We were friends for so long. You can’t just erase that many years.” Archie shrugged.

 

“We’ve been friends for years,” Reggie said. “But not really, right?”

 

“Well you aren’t wrong,” Archie said. “But you’re not exactly right either.”

 

“I’m sorry for what I said about Jughead, and you, and Moose.”

 

“Apology accepted, though you should apologize to them as well. But why _did_ you say that stuff about Moose, isn’t he supposed to be your best friend?” Archie asked.

 

“We live in a small-ass town in the Midwest, in Donald Trump’s America,” Reggie said. “If you don’t have your masculinity on display all the time, you’re a pariah. I don’t know how you get away with it.”

 

“Maybe people can tell I don’t care about appearing straight,” Archie said quietly.

 

“What are you trying to say to me?” Reggie asked, head tilted to one side slightly dangerously.

 

“Nothing,” Archie said. “Just some advice.”

 

There was a long pause.

 

“Right, well, we’ve been scraping for ages I’m done with this,” Reggie said, standing up.

 

“Hang on, you’re a little red,” Archie said, and wet a paper towel in the sink.

 

Reggie washed his face. “Better?”

 

“Yeah, you’re fine. No one’s here anyway.”

 

Reggie shrugged and turned the door handle.

 

“Archie?” he said

 

“What?”

 

“No one’s here.”

 

“I know, I just said that,” Archie looked at him, confused.

 

“No, I mean the school is empty,” Reggie said, pulling harder at the door.

 

“What does that mean?”

 

“It means we’re locked in, Strawberry Shortcake.”


End file.
